TNT’s Dallas Styles: Tommy’s Hat

In “The Enemy of My Enemy,” Tommy comes charging into Rebecca’s apartment, grumbling about the crowd at the coffee shop he’s just returned from. “People in Texas are way too friendly. It tries my nerves,” he says.

The line reminds us that Tommy is an outsider in Dallas – and so does the hat Callard Harris wears in this scene. The headgear appears to be a straw fedora, trimmed with a plaid ribbon. Notably, it isn’t a Stetson, the style favored by the Ewing men.

In addition to offering another demonstration of Tommy’s distinctive fashion sense – he memorably wore flip-flops to Christopher and Rebecca’s wedding in “Changing of the Guard,” the first episode of TNT’s “Dallas” – the hat recalls the fedora Digger Barnes wore on the original “Dallas.”

This might be another sly homage to the old show. Like Tommy, Digger was also an outsider who coveted the Ewings’ wealth. Of course, the source of Digger’s envy was always apparent: He believed Jock “stole” Miss Ellie and cheated him out of his rightful share of Ewing Oil.

Tommy’s motivation remains a mystery – along with any other connections he and Rebecca may share with classic characters like Digger.